# Game: spot the obscure movie/book/etc.. references in doper's nicks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544 "2004-12-01T19:00:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/1 "2004-12-01T19:00:53Z")
Ok here is the game - find the really obscure pop culture references in other ppls nicks. Me: **prisoner6655321** - Alex’s prison number from Clockwork Orange **Iggy Popov** - A russified version of a really good punk rocker **Aesiron** - The evil corporation from the first Max Payne **Sam Stone** - The main character from Serious Sam 1 and 2 Got more? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/2 "2004-12-01T19:02:38Z")
Mine is an obscure reference (music related). ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/3 "2004-12-01T19:12:33Z")
Afraid I can’t help you, it’s too obscure for the likes of me. You could however go ahead and tell us, I am sure no one will think any less of you for it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/4 "2004-12-01T19:32:37Z")
I suspect that **Aesiron** is a reference not to Max Payne, but to Norse mythology (which was presumably a source for the game). And you can’t get much more obscure than **Qadgop the Mercotan** , a character in a book created by the protagonist of _Children of the Lens_ by Doc Smith, while he was posing as a writer on an undercover mission. Um, let me parse that. E. E. “Doc” Smith wrote _Children of the Lens_. Kimball Kinnison was the protagonist of that book. While serving on a covert mission, Kinnison posed as a writer of space opera. Qadgop the Mercotan was the villian of the book Kinnison wrote, and appeared briefly in a couple of excepts. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/5 "2004-12-01T19:44:10Z")
**Exapno Mapcase** is Russian for “Harpo Marx.” ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/6 "2004-12-01T19:49:23Z")
**C K Dexter Haven** - Cary Grant’s character in “The Philadelphia Story” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/7 "2004-12-01T20:03:16Z")
**Ralph124c** comes from a novel by Hugo Gernsback. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/8 "2004-12-01T20:07:08Z")
**Lilith Fair** : from the music festival and/or from Hebrew mythology. I have always suspected **Eve** has some obscure referent but have never dared approach to ask. Everyone always gets mine wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/9 "2004-12-01T20:09:34Z")
> [@faldureon](#): > > **Sam Stone** - The main character from Serious Sam 1 and 2 I don’t know what Serious Sam is, but I assumed his name was from the John Prine song. (Unless it’s his real name.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/10 "2004-12-01T20:09:49Z")
> [@](#): > > I have always suspected Eve has some obscure referent but have never dared approach to ask. I think **Eve** is the first name of a very talented and famous author of books about obscure early film stars. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/11 "2004-12-01T20:18:39Z")
It’s Russian for “Gummo.” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/12 "2004-12-01T20:18:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Everyone always gets mine wrong. I would assume that it was from Repoman but that seems too easy. **Roger Thornhill** is Carey Grant’s character in North by Northwest. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/13 "2004-12-01T20:27:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I suspect that **Aesiron** is a reference not to Max Payne, but to Norse mythology (which was presumably a source for the game). Max Payne was filled with references to Norse mythology. Dr **CalMeacham** was the protagonist in [This Island Earth](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047577/). ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/14 "2004-12-01T20:28:28Z")
Good luck with **Nightwatch Trailer**. It’s a movie reference, but I can practically guarantee that no one will know it. Yes, that’s a challenge. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/15 "2004-12-01T20:29:13Z")
**Otto** always makes me think of _Airplane_. I only wish I’d made some obscure reference in my username. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/16 "2004-12-01T20:31:25Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > I don’t know what Serious Sam is, but I assumed his name was from the John Prine song. (Unless it’s his real name.) Pretty sure you are correct … **Sam Stone** has written in the past about liking John Prine’s music. … Some more: – **Zaphod Beeblebrox** and **Ford Prefect** are characters from the Douglas Adams novel _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_. – **Sleestak** was the name of a race of monsters on the '70s TV show _Land of the Lost_. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/17 "2004-12-01T20:32:18Z")
Also, I assumed for a long time that **Shodan** named himself after the insanely evil computer in **System Shock** , but I was wrong there, too. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/18 "2004-12-01T20:34:04Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > … Ah, **Left Hand of Dorkness** – yours is a play on Ursula LeGuin’s novel _Left Hand of Darkness_. ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/19 "2004-12-01T20:34:34Z")
**Otto** : Wanda: To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people. I’ve known sheep who could outwit you. I’ve worn dresses with higher IQs, but you think you’re an intellectual, don’t you, ape? Otto: Apes don’t read philosophy. Wanda: Yes they do, Otto, they just don’t understand it. Did I get it? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544/20 "2004-12-01T20:37:55Z")
Mine’s always been obvious. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-spot-the-obscure-movie-book-etc-references-in-dopers-nicks/277544.md?page=2)